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Contents

1 — The Mindfulness Curriculum

Overview
Who is this for?
Our approach
Who is Smiling Mind?

3 — M indfulness in Your School

8
9
10
15

2—W
hy Mindfulness?

What is mindfulness?
What is mindfulness meditation?
The science
Why mindfulness in education?

18
22
23
24

Your personal practice
Mindfulness in the classroom
A whole school approach

32
34
36

4 — Getting Started

Implementing the Mindfulness Curriculum
Important guidance for teachers

To build the foundational mindfulness skills
of self-knowledge and self-perception.
Students will be able to

Rationale

→ Discuss mindfulness
→ Practise mindful awareness
of their body

This lesson is designed to introduce students to mindfulness.
The meditation practice is a body scan, which helps students
become aware of their body. Learning mindfulness typically
begins with body awareness. Mindfully paying attention to the
body cultivates self-awareness.
Australian Curriculum Personal & Social Capabilities

Self-awareness — Develop reflective practice.
Reflect on what they have learnt about themselves
from a range of experiences at home and school

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5 — Lesson Plans

61

Self-management — Become confident, resilient
and adaptable. Undertake and persist with short tasks,
within the limits of personal safety

Overview

→ What you need
—— Smiling Mind app

Step 1

Learn

Practise

Ask
Who has heard of ‘mindfulness’
before? If so, what does it mean
to you?

Play
The Bubble Journey 1

Explain
—— Mindfulness is all about being right here, right now,
in this moment.

Brain Break

Don't forget to start
with a Brain Break.

B

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—— Mindfulness is noticing your thoughts, what your
body feels like, what your ears are hearing, and
anything else that is around you and happening
right now.
—— Practising mindfulness gives us the skills to pay
attention, to calm down when you feel upset, and
to make better decisions.

Step 3

Debrief
Discuss
—— Did your bubble have a colour?
—— Were you able to move your bubble to your
different body parts?

—— We can start to develop the skill of mindfulness
by practising paying attention to our body. Our
bodies are always with us!

—— How did the bubble’s glow make you feel?

—— Mindfulness meditation is like exercise for your
brain. Just like we do exercise to keep our bodies
healthy, we can practise mindfulness to keep our
brains healthy.

—— How do you feel now? Share two words
to describe your feelings.

—— What did you find easy/challenging/interesting
about this meditation?

5 — Lesson Plans

REATH

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OSE EY

ES

CL

STOP

Step 2

Lesson 1

Notes

Awareness

Mindful Tip
Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s normal that some students
might not wish to engage with the
practice. If this occurs, invite them
to simply sit quietly.

This activity invites students to bring mindfulness
to an everyday activity in order to develop
a mindfulness practice through routine.
Invite students to use the time they brush their teeth to practise
mindfulness. Explain that this is a great way to pay attention to all
the feelings and sensations they experience and to train their brain
to focus. Prompt students: Every time you brush your teeth, pay attention
to the feeling of the brush against your teeth, the sensations in your
mouth and movement of the brush. What can you notice? Ask students
to draw what they noticed in their journals.

Take the class outside and practise taking deep, slow breaths while
blowing bubbles, paying close attention to the bubbles as they form,
detach, and pop or float away.

Awareness

This activity will help students to develop their
awareness by inviting them to notice sensations
and thoughts that arise when they blow bubbles.

Invite students to pick one and watch it until it disappears. Ask the
students to notice what they are thinking about, is their mind focussed
on the bubbles? Can they notice the wind or air around them? Which
direction are the bubbles floating? At the end of the exercise ask
students to reflect on what they noticed, and discuss in small groups
or as a class.

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5 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Lesson Plans

65

Smiling Mind
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
info@smilingmind.com.au
smilingmind.com.au
Illustration by Beci Orpin | The Jacky Winter Group
Smiling Mind is a 100%
not-for-profit organisation
that works to make
mindfulness meditation
accessible to all.